bare-bones

1 of 2

adjective

: including only what is most basic or necessary
a bare-bones email program
Skyscrapers of steel hung with curtain walls of glass, these sleek buildings were impressive monuments to bare-bones architectural integrity.C. A. Mills

bare bones

2 of 2

plural noun

: the barest essentials, facts, or elements
the bare bones of her life

Examples of bare-bones in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had almost no votes to spare in his bare-bones GOP majority and fought on all fronts -- against Democrats, uneasy rank-and-file Republicans and skeptical GOP senators -- to advance the party's signature legislative package. Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 26 Feb. 2025 But in a tiny casting room in the far corner of a bare-bones rehearsal studio, lethargy has been left at the door. Kate Lloyd, Vogue, 20 Feb. 2025
Plural noun
Many of those efforts came to a halt when the Trump administration stripped the agency down to bare bones. Aria Bendix, NBC News, 9 Mar. 2025 The post-operative note is bare bones and also fails to have any sense of credibility regarding who created it, when it was created or who the was the actual non-doctor that performed this shower and shave post operative evaluation. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bare-bones

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1868, in the meaning defined above

Plural Noun

1647, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bare-bones was in 1647

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Bare-bones.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bare-bones. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

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